By Alphonse Rwabugiri
Kampala
The big debate raging in Uganda currently is the proposal for the Leader of the Opposition (LOP) in Parliament to be elected by all opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) to participate in the election of the leader in the August House.
As we talk, the Mityana South MP Richard Lumu will draft (present) a Private Members Bill to that effect.
For those who may not be in the know, the norm has been that the leadership of the opposition with majority MPs in Parliament appoints the LOP, Chief Whip, and parliamentary committee heads and members.
So why is there panic in opposition, one may ask? The consequence of this new proposal will have a far-reaching impact on the operations of the Opposition.
Actually, in Kavule, a Kampala city suburb where the National Unity Platform (NUP) has majority MPs in Parliament, tables are turning, the leadership is in panic, and we have it on record that some members of this mass party’ are crossing ship already. The NUP leadership is solely responsible for this, and that’s why the country finds itself here.
The current LOP, Joel Ssenyonyi, has decided that anything and everything from the government side and Office of the Speaker must be ‘fought’, even without any justifiable cause. Case in point: the regional parliamentary sitting.
The truth is, no additional money besides what is in the 2024/2025 budget is going towards this activity. This money has already been budgeted for and was cleared by all MPs (both opposition and the ruling National Resistance Movement, NRM). Opposition thrives on lies because they know that the masses are less informed.
Unfortunately, such cheap politics continues to cost Uganda both time and resources that could have seen us handle more important issues of national interest.
But why did I suggest that the opposition (NUP) has scored an own goal? First, they boycotted the first regional parliamentary sitting held in Gulu City on August 28, 2024. From the testimonies of those abreast with what transpired in Gulu, the opposition, the NUP, and indeed the LOP missed an opportunity they can never reclaim. Besides missing the opportunity to make their presence in the Northern region felt, they have indirectly severed with their colleagues from this part of the country.
But also, politics is a game of tact—chess of sorts! Now should the proposal to have the LOP elected by all opposition MPs pass, it will be a checkmate—to the detriment of NUP and any other opposition political party with majority MPs. I am tempted to believe that had the LLOP and his NUP honchos not boycotted the Gulu parliamentary sitting, the country would not be here.
They would have made a strong case when it mattered the most! They instead chose to score in their goalpost.
So, why are NUP MPs and some opposition leaders in tears? The main opposition in Parliament will no longer enjoy the exclusive right to appoint the LOP, should this bill be passed. But why is this a big deal? THE MONEY! The office of the LOP enjoys an annual budgetary allocation of UGX 2.7 billion. It must hurt to wake one day and notice that such a juice package could go to someone else, even to an MP from a party with as few as five MPs provided other opposition MPs rally behind them.
This money is currently ‘enjoyed’ largely by Ssenyonyi and top NUP leaders. Should the upcoming bill come through, this will not be guaranteed any more. What a loss!
The takeaway for me is that playing cheap politics is very expensive.
And lastly, the winner for me is the ruling NRM party heralded by His Excellence President Yoweri Museveni. Why and How? The people, who have all the powers on how the country should be governed (including those in opposition), will decide who becomes their leader in Parliament as enshrined in the Constitution of Uganda and the Ten Points Programme—tenets the President has fought for decades.
For God and My Country.
